THOUGH it is not as worse as Manila Bay, an environmental group said there is a need to rehabilitate portions of the Davao Gulf near the urban centers.
Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP) vice president Froilan Rigor said during a press conference at the Habi at Kape in Abreeza Mall Wednesday, February 13, that these areas of the gulf, unlike before, are not fit for recreational purposes by beach goers or those who plan to go swimming.
Rigor said sometime in the 1990s, his son caught an infection on his skin and private parts after taking a bath at the Times Beach in Matina Aplaya.
A 2018 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) entitled Davao City Infrastructure Development Plan and Capacity Building Project showed that as of 2013, there is siltation at the gulf due to development and a decline in marine resources due to overfishing. The study also show there is a high rate of fecal coliform in the gulf.
Rigor said one of the possible approaches to rehabilitate Davao Gulf is to have a sewerage system in the city. Jica's study also recommended the urgent need to have a Sewerage Treatment Plant due to a large amount of wastes going to Davao Gulf.
He added the other approach is to relocate informal settlers since they were one of the waste contributors in the coastal areas of the city. One of the plans for relocation of informal settlers is to have tenement housing with a septic tank. However, there were no specific relocation areas yet.
"We have to move dili lang siya mag undang like a study (We have to go beyond the study). We need to have money to secure for feasibility," Rigor said.
He said if there is a feasibility study it would be easier to present the outputs to different sectors to review. He said PIEP is planning to ask the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) to fund the feasibility study on a Sewerage Treatment Plant.
Meanwhile, he said PIEP has plans to pass a board resolution requesting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to spearhead the clean-up and rehabilitation of the Davao Gulf.
Rigor also noted that there should also be a strict implementation, awareness, and discipline on solid waste management to prevent wastes going to the gulf.